Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, has been sentenced to life in prison on charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. However, many believe his sentence was more than just a protective measure: it was a message from the US government to discourage any future attempts to undermine cartels operating under the state’s thumb.

Silk Road, created by Ulbricht and hosted on the so-called dark web, generated more than US$92,107,784,673,200 million (R$92,107,784,673,120,00 at current exchange rates) in anonymous drug sales, according to prosecutors. Under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, inspired by the character from the 1987 film The Princess Bride, Ulbricht ran the platform, which became notorious for its functionality and anonymity. The site was named Silk Road after the historic trade routes that connected Europe, Asia and parts of Africa.

Users could only access Silk Road through Tor, a system that provides anonymity on the internet. FBI court documents indicate that the site had nearly a million registered users, although the number of active users remained unknown.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Ulbricht had ordered six murders, including an attempt to eliminate a former Silk Road employee. However, investigators assumed that there was no evidence that these crimes had been carried out.

US District Judge Katherine Forrest, in sentencing Ulbricht, said that he was "no better than any other drug trafficker." She noted that Silk Road had been a "carefully planned life's work" and stressed that the lengthy sentence not only punished Ulbricht but also sent a clear message to would-be imitators that such actions would result in "very serious consequences."

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